"Paul Pierce, when asked about the Celtics-Knicks dynamic, tends to downplay the so-called rivalry.

But in the process of leading the Celtics to Friday night's Game 3 win with a 38-point performance, the captain clearly enjoyed shutting down the crowd a little more than in other arenas.

He admitted as much after yesterday's practice at Madison Square Garden.

"I like playing here, man," Pierce said. "I like the colors, orange and blue. It's a great atmosphere. Y'all know that. These people are very knowledgeable of the game. They're really into it.

"They really live and die with their team, man. You can feel that energy with these fans when they have a good team like they have now. It brings a lot out of me when I'm in these types of environments. There's several in the NBA, but this is one of them.""